Author 




Title_ 


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u , A. 'EiiLpV. d| SVA . o|^&ui»SA*Y^ 

_ OFFICE Of STRATEGIC SERVICES i^ASSiP iCATION 


df STATE 
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REF FILE COPY 

PLEASE RETURN 


tesearch and Analysis Branch 


Ckemged to 

UNCLASSIFIED 


R and A No. 2069 


THE FHEHCK COIOIONE AS A UNIT OF OOVERSNE 


ify authority of ^ 


De scription 

Bie oonmune, the basic unit of French local govemnent, 
is described In this study, which traces its adiamtstra^' 
tive structure under the Third Republic and under Vichy 
and dlsoussea municipal funotions In the coonmnes with 
especial reference to Paris and Lyon. 


23 August 1944 


This dooiinent contaius information affecting the national 
defense of the United States within the meaning of the 
Espionage Act, 50 USC 31 and 32, as amended. Its trans- 
DieSion or the revelation of its contents in any manner 
to *in unauthorized person Is prohibited by law. 

Copy No. 


CONFIDENTIAL 












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SuEioary 


TABLE or CONTENTS 



I• Introduction 


II. The ircTUOtuifeof 3onEiunal AdP?lnieti*atioR during 

the Third Hepublic... ^ 

A. The Municipal Council... ?- 

B. The Mayor. J 

C. The Deputy-Mayors. ^ 

D. Appointive officials....- • • ' 

K, Ccrntxx)! over the Coiniune.. 9 


l:£:C. : .to 1 c ipel runo t ion s 


A. Municipal Ac tivities in the Lai’ge Comunss..,., IZ 

B. MvTiicipa3. Public Utility Majiagenent.. 15 

1. Direct Ahi:lni3trat5.on by the lIunioipaI.ity, * - 15 

2. Comiiunal }hiblic Institution.... 16 

3. MunioipaiL Administration. ...... 16 

•i. Concession.... 16 

C . Inter-coenEiunaJ. Enterprises.... 17 


IV, 2>ari3 and Lyon...... 17 

A. Paris. ... 17 

3. Lyon......... 16 

V. ’JTie CoTEiune and the Vicliy-Regime.... 19 

A. Direction oi* the Changes made by Vichy. 19 

B. Vichy and I-tuniolpol Personnel.... 19 

C. . Pi*essnt Relations of the Local Governments 

and Vichy. 21 

Note: So>irces of Information on Coiariunas. 81 







































Summary 

1. The commune Is the basic unit of French local eoTern- 
rnenb. Under the ISiird Repiblic all communes except j?arie and 
Lyon had a substantially identical organization, the form of 
oomminal organization being determined by national law. This 
national law, passed in 1634, called for an elective, repre¬ 
sentative communal council ’which selected from its own member¬ 
ship both the mayor and the deputy-mayors of the commime. 

8, The mayor of the commune vyas the agent of both the 
central government and the commune. Ho was the administrative 
and political head of the commune and was re sensible for its 
police* Since the scope of the municipal police power was 
exceedingly broad, the mayor’s police functions were most 
important. The mayor also savy to the execution within the 
commune of all national laws and regulations, and fulfilled 
a oonsiderable number of other duties for the central government, 
3* The communal council, which was usually cos^osed 
of citizens of standing in the community, regulated by its 
ardlnances the affairs of the commune* However, the central 
govarimient, represented by the prefect of the department, 
retained powers of control and review, especially in financial 
matters* Ordinarily the prefect exercised these powers 
sparingly, as constant interference in coirmunal affairs would 
have been politically inexpedient* 

4 * Foremost among the appointive officials was the 
secretary of the commune* The treasurer, the police commissioner, 


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Slid l;ho ciiio’fi of the various oomTiural sorYi^,&3 alsso ulc.;'’'--d a 
Acu'Se rol;3 in the administration of the comjjran*?. 

5. Tne scope of the aotivit5.es of the commuji!!! fovsni'- 
ri:i:>at inarled aocording to its population. Iluaioi.pal public 
uii.li.tios v;ero either directly or indirectly under t'le .ontro.L 
o:‘‘ the cOi<!}auiia2 government. All nunlciptil fanotlcns othoi* than 
ti.ose specifioaily permitted by law had to be lustifiod as 
n;aeoiiabls applications of the coimme’s pdioe powers, 

6. The Vichy regime has m£ide many far-machlig changes 
iii French loo€d govoniment. It has »d^ova*necl ijidellnit'ly itll 
v?:nioipal elections A 2 id has greatly increased o]ic povier:? of 
tiic central government over the corgnune. Mayors arc nO’V com* 
plota.ly gi'oordlnate to the departmental prefects. Vicc 3 ' al:K: 
h/»o vilaoissed a great number of local govermenu officials, 
.voplaoing ^hen by per tone loyal to the National He volution. 

Xt in likely that the officials now ho3.ding inpoi'tairt local 
government posts are favorably disposed to Vichy, bub tl.e 
letter regime has not been able to find eciough ]»e.t rocciel to 
o::teud its purge to the. smaller cominujiQS and the less 
significant coz-Tmimal positions. 


iv 


COIIFIDEirTIAl. 






GOlglDFIi^IAI. 

jgjg-g^JCIL CQMgAuioi; AS A ma^ of o^g^Hi^ TKir.:^ 

I. Itx^glO DUCyiON 

cc.njTc.u'ne 1.^ the basic unit of I>snoh loca] ? 3 cv.jrn>Ti 3 r-t. 
It Is noi’e tbaii a 6>Toup of people \7i*ohl:i a parcticnlar L-raa* or- 
an acbiinistrative division, It is a ccrijmunlty, a social cc^^en- 
le*iv, v'ltTi a trfi(M.t;t3r‘ born ia the eaj ly history of ti’ir.oo, A 
Frenclman feels little atteoirment to his dopavtnent. or Ills 
arre ndi 3 f ^eiaen .t, A Breton or a Gascon has some loyalty to his 
rogicTi, but riosu of uls sentimantal associations eh’c oc.nAocted 
v;ith his coiranunG. 

lb .0 great majority of Fr^mc'i eomnunes are rural in 
character. Of the 36,000 conununos, only about 400 had nore 
tnan 10,000 Inhabitants. Some 2,600 had bstA-een 2^000 and 
10,000 inhabitants; 4,000 had a population bet^veen 1,000 and 
2,000r 11,000 had bsttveen 500 and 1,000 inhabitoits; .3i:.d 20,COO 
coruTiLjies had less than 500, InoludinG the 400 corfiiiunes v;iiC3o 
inhabitant 3 r.Uiribercd less than 50. 

V<ltli the exception of Paris and Lyon, every oomriuiie in 
Republican France had substantially the same pattern of local 
government, v^hether it vms a liaislet of less than f5.fty people 
or a letropolls of hundreds of tliOus^Anos. Whereas in the United ' 
S 1 at €^.3 there are different tsrpes of governmental organization 
for villages, tcvms, and cities, and a great variety of pcesiblo 
organizations within those three categories, in Pranoa there 

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was only ono basic type of local ^iovermient. A national lav/, 
passed in 1684, established a unifona structure far all coinmunes. 
The t7>vo nain exceptions, Paris and Lyon, differed 30 s'j.bstan- 
tiel3.y fron the other comrmines that they will be disouesed in 
a separate section, 

II. WS STRUCTORL OF COmn aTi ^L AJaCOTlSTKATIOn 
nURIRG THE THUSj REFDBLIC 
A. The Ilunlolpal Council (Conseil I!unicipal) 

The concaine was governed by a representative body, the 
municipal council ( conseil munioip^il ) > which varied in si^e 
from ten to thirty-six members, depending on the participating 
population. KLections to the Counoil took place every six 
years. All adult males were entitled to vote. Pleotlons 
usually v/ere hotly contested, especially in the larger comaunos. 
To a large extent the electoral issues were based on local 
affairs and the personalities of the candidates, but an in¬ 
creasing tendency for national issu.es and national parties to 
determine the battle lines of local elections developed under 
the Third Republic. This resulted from the fact that incumbent 
and potential deputies and senators competed for the municipal 
councilor ship 8, and the fact that the council itself partioi- 
peted indirectly in the election of senators by electing 
delegates to the senatorial electoral college. Although in 
principle the councilors were to receive no salary, in nany 
conmmes the actual expenses connected with the position were 

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■oa5.d fTOTx public funds. Nsverthelasa# the position of muni¬ 
cipal councilor was sought not for financial inctivas, but- for 
its prestiga. Cabinet members, members of p{irLian 0 nt, and, in 
goxieral, "solid citizens" competed for the pofrt;. 

The municipal council was required tc meet four times 
a year. Sacb session was limited to tv;o weeks with the ex¬ 
ception of the budget session, which could lejrfc as long as 
six weeks. Ihe sessions were public, but in fact few people 
attended, and most of the couno51 rooms were too snail to 
acoomraedate a IriTge audience. Kov/ever., the minutes of every 
sassicHi and ell other rsoerds were available to tho public and 
the larger piorincial newepfipers carried accounts of the 
meetings. 

■5pccif.l sessions of the council were permitted, and 
councils of the larger c itlen met as often q :1 once a month. 

The decisions of the oouiic.ll were taken by mjoriti^ vote, the 
president having th-s deciding voice in the case of a tie. The 
inaycra.1 office prepared the agenda. Tiic council coild foxrm 
committees fc»r the study of problems before it, but only in 
the larger cities did the council do so. COTmittecy had no 
pevijer of aticlsicn, being limited to the preparation of reports 
03 which th.B council could b&so its discussion. The Law of 
1SS4 stipulated that the i-iunicipal council was tc regulate the 
affairs cC tlie. commune, 'fhe extensive juri=diction of the 
council Included the administration of communal properties 

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(leases, transfers, purchases, trar^sactions, levv-sults, and 
acceptance cf donations), the execution of ooranunal worics, the 
oonstruotion and maintenance of oorimunal buildings and roads, 
the creation of communal public utilities and services, and the 
administration of communal finances, including the budget. 

On all the above matters the conmunal council could 
enact ordinances ( del iber at ions ). Besides passing ordinances, 
the council had other duties. It was legally required to give 
its advice ( avis ) on such matters as the administration of 
public welfare establishments. It had the right to offer 
recommendations ( voeux ) to higher authorities on natters of 
iminicipal interest. And it could mice official protests 
( reclamations ) against inequitable distribution of the tax 
burdens, though this was rarely done since such protests 
could have no effect. 

B. Ihe Kayor (?jaire ) 

The executive agent of the commune, the mayor, v;a3 
chosen by the municipal councilors from among thei? owti 
nuTiber at the first session after Ijhoir election. TTsraelly 
the masror was a man who had already served one or nore terms 
as r. municipal councilor. His term, like that of the council, 
was ?ix years. 'Ihe prestige of the office vms considerable. 

The mayor supervised the administration of the commune, 
presiced at ail meetings of the council, and represented the 
ccmmuuc in all legal proceedings. V/ith few exceptions ho 


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appointed all the municipal employees, exercising this power 
in accordance vilth national civil service regulations* 

The mayor had general charge of the financial affairs 
of the coumune. It was his duty to see that the revenues of 
the commune were properly collected and conserved. He presented 
to the municipal council an annual report on the financial con¬ 
dition of the commune, shaving its receipts, expenditures,and 
indebtedness, which had to agree with one prepared independent¬ 
ly by the municipal treasurer. Debate on the mayor’s report 
provided the council with an opportunity for general criticisms 
eind suggestions. After the acceptance of the report, the 
mayor presented and defended before the council a proposed 
budget, prepared with the help of his staff, his deputies, and 
the heads of the various municipal services. 

The mayor likewise uxercised supervision over the manage¬ 
ment of all conmunal property, such as public buildings, land, 
and invested funds, although all matters of policy were deter¬ 
mined by the council. The mayor selected the engineers, archi¬ 
tects, and inspectors for municipal construction works and 
signed wari’ants for payments from the municipal treasury. 

The mayor's general police power was broad and important. 
It included all measures necessary to ensure public order, 
safety, morals, and health. Except in a few metropolitan 
centers and certain frontier or coastal cities of military 
Importance, local police administration was within the 


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juris'llction of the iiayor. He exercised this control under 
the supervision of the prefect, who in case of neglisance by 
the iiL'iyor, could issue police orders on his ov/n authority* 

Ihe central eovernmeat, moreover, retained certain appointive 
powers over the police. For exeanple, the chief police officer 
( oommlssaire de nollce ) an official required by national law 
in all conmunes of 5,000 inhabitants or over, was appointed 
by the Minister of the Interior, although in fact he regulated 
local traffic control, patrol duty, and sanitary ordinances 
under the supervision of the mayor. In general, the larger 
the coiranune the more the central government tended to determine 
the composition and standards of the police force. 

To fulfill his many responsibilities, the mayor of a 
French commune had s broad ordinance-making authority, limited 
only by restrlctionf- laid down by the municipal council or 
contained in national laws and decrees. This power of the 
mayor was especially significant because the policy of French 
legislative bodies, national and local, was to fix only the 
broad lines of a lav , leaving the administrative details to 
the executive officials. 

Although elected by the muricipal oounollors, the 
mayor v/as also an agent of the central government. As such, 
he was responsible not only for the publication and execution 
of national lav/s and regulations within the comniune, but also 
for the execution of measures of public safety. In addition, 

CONFlDSymAL 







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CONFIDEmAI. 


ho had certain 3pec3.al functions assigne<l to him by national 
lav, such as aidinc in the Vvorli: of recruiting, and supervising 
the local schools and prisons. In his porformance of national 
functions the mayor was under the contro!'., not of the immioipal 
council, but of national authorities, 6s;osciolly the prefect. 

C. The Deputy-iteyors (Ad.1oints ) 

Each mayor was assisted by one or more deputies, called 
adjPints , v/ho v;ere elected by the municipal council from its 
CRvn members, the number depending on the population of the 
commune. There wore no powers inherent :.n the position of 
deputy-mayor other than a priority in tailing the place of the 
mayor if ha were unavailable. The actual, duties of the ad.1 pints 
depended upon assignment by the mayor, lln the larger cities 
they usually served as non-technical heac.s of municipal services. 

D. Appointive Officials 

The most important communal official after the mayor 
WU6 the secretary (secretair e) of the ocaimune. In some 
respects he was more impordanu than the riayor, for eilthough 
aihninlstrations changed, the secretary customarily stayed on* 
lie v;as a combination of chief cleric, adjtitant, and executive 
officer. In the sriiall comnunes the seemtary v;as named by 
the mayor, subject to the prefect’s approval. 

Another important or^iclal was the municipal treasurer 
(re ceveur ). The treasurer was appointed by the central govern¬ 
ment to inspire his independence frcci locf.l officials, whose 


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financial accounts night have to be chooiccd aesainst the 
treasurer’s records* In the aneQ.ler oomnunes the position 
of treas^-irer was combined, for purposes of economy, with that 
of the local tax collector ( percepteur ). a post required by 
national lay;* The treasurer was the custodian of the comnunal 
funds and the head of the oomnune’s department of finance. 

At the head of each public service in a large TTenoh 
city there was a chief of service ( chef de service ), the 
professional technical heed .of the service, of which the 
deputy mayor was usually the official supervisor. 

It must be borne in mind that in practice the aotlvitleB 
and officials of the cammuae were determined, regardless of 
the provisions of national l®v, by the size of the commune. 

In small communes with fe^v or almost no public services, the 
secretary was often the only official. 

Civil service protection of municipal employees in 
France was fairly effective. Appointment was by open com¬ 
petitive examination, and promotion, though slw, was deter¬ 
mined mainly by merit. Disciplinary action, other than 
minor reprimands, could not be taken except after hearing by 
departmental disciplinary council. Tne position of the civil 
service employee in France carried a prestige higher than a 
comparable position in America, and observers considered that 
the professional quality of the French minlcipal service com¬ 
pared favorably v/ith that of the better-governed American 
cities. 


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E. C ontrol ov e r the Con-jiune 

French renpec'; for proccourf Cwoordinf:. to lav/ xs 
rreat. All legal 11 •'.Ltationo tne cnntr'ols or t)ie "^overs ol* 
the co.-.ifflune s-^rn-io f':om tlie orircliilt ’hat the individual 
comiune v.as not nn iaderendent entity r^soonsiule only to 
itself, but a unit of governiient lr.TX‘>rtvnt to ail France, and 
therefore to be odrinistered vith t. reasonat^le concern for the 
interests of the v;ho?.e ration- 

In the first alacs, the niunfcipal caancil was forbidden 
to discuss national or denartmental-. politic?, {Even thou/f.h a 
breach of this rule oould become the basis for disci pi. inary 
action by the higher authorities, it v;as often '/Idated.) In 
the second rlac«, state enterpriser were outsiae the .Jurisdiotior* 
of tho commune. For example, the rtate hod e.*:ciuisive control 
over tha method and contents of instruction in the public 
schools, the nov/trs of the cocuniune being, Ihnitsd to such 
matters as tho naintononca of the rchool buildlnss. In tho 
third niece, all projects undertak€;n by the commune had to ftill 
within the categories specifically stated In national legislation 
or else had to be justifiable as p:*oper a^pplications of the 
police powers of the' comnrine. 

In addition, large powers of co/ntrol existed in the 
hands of the central government, v/hich usually acted through 
the prefect 0 The latter, vho was appointed by the central 
government, was the representative of the national authority 
in each department. Re had the rirlit to suspend the deputy- 
meyors and muniolpel-councilors, to suspend or cancel the orders 






- IG - CONFIDEOTIAL 

of the mayor, and to cancel or to refuse to approve certain 
resolutions. 

If the mayor refused to oerform an action mandatory by 
national law, the prefect could substitute himself for the mayor 
to carry out the action himself. The financial affairs of the 
commune fell under particularly extensiTe surveillance on the 
part of the higher authorities. Among the activities requiring the 
approval of higher authority were the budget of the comnaine; the 
purchase, selling,or leasing of municipal property; the 
appropriation of money; the granting of concessions; and the 
intervention of the ocnmine in public utility enterprises either 
by direct operation or by subsidy to private concerns. 

One authority has said that in the main the functions con¬ 
stituting the heart of municipal activity were not under the 
substantial control of the commune. Ordinarily the prefect 
exercised supervisory control for the central government, but 
the sub-prefeot exercised comparable powers over the less 
important communes vlthin his territorial area, the arrondissement . 
The oofflzoune had a theoretical financial freedom only in the 
disposition of the Income it obtained from ordinary tax receipts. 
Before this money coul.d be used, however, the obligatory 
appropriations required by national law had first to be deducted 
from it, and these usually absorbed by far the greater part of the 
receipts. If the municipal budget did not include the obligatory 
appropriations, the piefect inserted them in the budget himself. 


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It lS net to be dedu -ed from the legal powers of the 
prefect that he exercised in fact a constant, oppressive 
pover over the conjnune* He did ordinarily suspend or cancel 
orders of the mayor unless ^here were fitrong reasons for doing so. 
Although the orefset could substitute himself for the mayor, this 
procedure wae hedged about \/ith legal formalitiee and safeguards, 
so that it could be applied only if the mayor, after being warned 
of his deliquenoy, still re 'used to perform the act required by 
national law. The prefect, dsspite his formal powers, usually 
approved the municipal budgvt without change, reserving his 
inherveutlon for occasions /hen the municipal council proposed 
inancial measiu*es which he considered notably objectionable. The 
tendency in French governine:it was to restrict the interference of 
the prefect to matter'j in v/aichthe commune was in danger of 
con.mitting an illegp*! act, ind to discourage him from imposing 
his own views of the expediency of communal actions. There was, 
moreover, both Political and legal recourse against excessive 
prefectorai activity. The )refect was suable in administrative 
law v;hen he acted without 1 jgal right or abused his legal rights. 
Appeals could be taken to h\s political superior, the Minister 
of the Interior, usually tii?ough the national deputies and 
seriators. Because of the ex .stance of this political control, 
the authority of the prefec ; was exercised with less vigor 
over the large cities than over the small comnunes. The large 
cities had sufficient polit-.cal power to make the Minister 


COI^IDKNTIAL 




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01 t/'jQ Interior unv/illing to offend tb^o; their fuayors were often 
deovtlfis of considerable importanceo Without the support of 
the fillister of the Interior the prefect did not dare to take 
a string stand. 

During the depression of the 1930*s the communes fell 
even niore under the control cf the central government because 
thei;- usually noor financial condition made it necessary for them to 
seek ;:',overnmcnt help. For example, communes vAiich wished to 
secure government funds for large-scale public works to reduce 
unemployment had to meet the requirements set by the national 
govcpiuDent. Such grants not given unless the particular 

project met with government tpppoval. The central government 
tVen reserved the right not only to inspect the actual operation 
t*nd accounting system of the project but also to examine its 
financial condition. 


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III* ?y!U^JICIPAL FUNCTI0II3 
A. HuniclT^Ql Activities in the Large Communes 

The scope of mualclpal activities in France v/as 
extensive in the large cities, but v/as considerably limited in 
the communes of small r>opulation and little wealth. The 
administrative organization of Lille, an industrial city of 
about 200,000 inhabitants, is representative of the activities 
of the larger oommunes. 

The core of the ad.^.inistratlve organization v/as a 
central secretariat, headed by the municipal secretary, which 
handled such matters as the council agenda, litigation, 
personnel, the centralized purchase of supplies, and the 
3UT)ervision of TXJllce, The rest of the administration was 
divided among five service( directions ); 


First Service; 

General Administration 

1st bureau: 

drafting of ordinances, preparation of 
the municipal bulletin, etc. 

2nd bureau: 

official correspondence 

3rd bureau: 

legal matters pertaining to property 

4th bureau; 

military affairs 

5th bureau: 

preparation of tax rolls, insurance of 
DHiniciDal property, registration of voters 
and administration of elections 

6th bureau; 

vital statistics ' 

Second Service: 

Public Works 

1st bureau; 

administrative and legal roatters 
relative to contracts and utility 
concessions 


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2nd bureau: 

verifioetion of the accounts of 
contractors 

3rd bureau: 

construction and maintenance of streets, 
bridges, etc. 

4th bureau: 

construction, rcalntenance, and care of 
public buildings 

5th bureau: 

architectural plans and designs 

6th bureau: 

garbage disposal plant 

7th bureau: 

municipal water 7;orks 

0th bureau: 

city planning and zoning 

Third Service: 

Finance and Control 

1st bureau: 

preparation of the budget, accounting 
^d audit of expenditures 

2nfi bureau: 

preparation of bills, collection of 
licenses and fecss 

3rc bureau: 

administration of municipal warehouses 

Fourth Service: 

Education and the Arts 

1st bureau: 

elementary and secondary schools; 
scholarships; libraries; archivesi 
schools for the deaf, dumb, and blind; 
special educational facilities; museur.s. 

2nd bureau: 

school canteens 

Fifth Service: 

Health and Social V/elfare 

Ist bureau: 

sanitary inspection, vaccination, control 
of epidemics, s^^reet cleaning. 

2nd bureau: 

licensing of physicians and pharmacists; 
inspection of food and milk; venereal 
prophylaxis; morgue; medical inspections 
in schools ; discharge of municipal 
insurance obligations 

3rd bureau: 

assistance to a^jed and sick, large 
familie;}, and to mothers at childbirth; 
uneniplo'rmont relief; labor placement 
officers 


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CQU^IDlKPIid. 

Although the activities of ^fronch corrm'-ines thu*^ vore 
si/Tiilar to those of A'-erican munici'O^lities, ohers existed at 
least one French corjcunal function not ccriLaion to United JitatoL 
local ftcvernments. This y;q 3 the maiitsns.nce ol individual 
files on the eta t civil (civil condition) oi oach inhuhilant, 
in effect a rather complete biography giving t;he date and 
place of his birth, his parentage, education, tax peyL''ent3, 
court sentences,and military service. The French comniune 
also maintained rosters of certain kinds of property v;ith 
a viev; to wartime mcbili^^ation and requisltiGolns, listing such 
itezM as motor cars, horses, and even carrier pigeons. 

M unioinal Public Utility Manageme nt 

There v/ere four separate ty^^es of municipal public utility 
organizations in Frence, varying in the degree and manner of 
control by the comaune, Tlie type of organization \vhich a 
commune chose for a particular public utili ty was deter^jiined 
in Dart by the naturs of the utilityy some public services, 
for example, being more conveniently administered by tae 
municipal governmont directly, vjhiie otheis could be mors 
efficiently operated as concessions* 

1. Direct Admi n istration by the M u nicipality , Municipal 
services not self-supporting, such as porks, libraries, and 
baths as a rule v*orQ administered by government branches 
functioning directly under the authority of the mayor .and 
the council. 


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irjf.ticoclc a with a oori^ldBraMf: 

aic- axraE^etrenta , 


;u<’3 i'iist,erins such atr,e:ioiG!^ aa rx , c-sylumSf and many 

r>nblic charities; It .Its c-.vn uad a ooi’pora&o pc rt'-on- 

aljty. but vjGs rtupurviaea by a corainicsioa ciiosan partly by , 
the rraleot and partly by -:lie muiiicical council. It was 
aelx'-aupportia^;, eithex' tlrrough :.ts cvvC. receipts or public 


;ii ts. 


Zo Kunicipal a dfainlatration (Ree ll'dn 1 cipu le). The 


reg.:ie mu nicip ale v;aa used oiairJy 
as water, gas, and e3.eotr5.:iity, 
an independent corporate person-.' 


to provide such utilities 
It did .not hrfivB neccssoril.y 
ity ancl va.£ not removed 


from the genera?;, control o;" the .iuhj cioai Gouncil, but it 
did enjoy a lirdted fiscal and ocministxativu autonomy. The 

vcVie rnuntcipale had a perri;-i.ncnt di:ceotc:r, assisted by an 

administrative council ciiossn in part oy tfio meyor and in part 

vy the prefect. Utilities thus ifiauagel were to keep their 

budgets r-aianced, and the iiational r/Iinister of Finance 3oujd 

intervene if th?y fa.ilbd to do ^o, 

1* <^‘ onc 3sslon (Se~rvice Conc eyie), Municipalities could 


,'praat private comnauies the concessions for public utiiioies. 
■U.nt.il 1929, for example, tho Paris subyva/s vvere a private 
co.ncession. Concesslbns for 'ous service and electric pov/er 


were not infrequent and many othor public utilities were 
operated by private co^arsnlos under concessions. The oontradt 
of concession fixed the terms, and cortalned the necessary 
iiafe^uarcU for the r-rotection of t/re Tublic interest.^ 















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COMlDUmAL 


^ • l ater»cocimunal Ent e r'orisee 

Frequently tT;o or more communes joined in syndicates 
to maintain public utilities useful for all of them but beyond 
the economic strength of any single commune. Typical inter- 
conLiunal projects v.^ere aqueducts, lighting systems, and public 
velfare institutions. Inter-coamunal syndicates were 
administered by a committee elected by the participating municipal 
councils. 

IV, PARIS .-illD LYOM 

Tv.o French cities, Paris and Lyon, differed so 
substantially from the other French coinmunes in their form of 
government that they require separate consideration. 

A, Pfiris 

Before the outbreak of the kVorld War II, the City of 
Paris ’^roper had a population of approximately three million. 

The region of Greater Paris contained all or parts of three 
departments and had a population of six million, Paris was 
always too important and tcD critical a city to be allowed the 
degree of local freedom permitted to other French cities 
and tlierefore v/as never made subject to the Law of 1884 which 
regulated the organization of the other French communes, 

Paris proper v/as divided into twenty sections 
( arrondissements ) which were subdivided into quarters. The 
municipal council of Paris was composed of ninety members, 
each section selecting from four to seven members. The term 






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of office-was six years. The Municipal Council had four- 
ordinary sessions a. year, but it v;as in extraordinary session 
the rest of the tijre. Its deliberations in practically all 
cases required the formal approbation of hi{*her authority, 
usually the Prefect of the Department of the Seine* 

In each arrondissement there v/as one mayor and from 
three to seven denuty-mayors (a djoint fi) , appointed by the jentrai 
government. The mayor administered no corumuRal property, out 
was only an agent of the central power, placed under the authoricy 
of the Prefect of the Seine, to facilitate the execution of the iav^ 

Tv/o prefects served Paris, the Prefect of Police and the 
Prefect of the Donartment of the Seine, The former was 
responsible for the nolice of the whole Paris area. The latter 

I 

had under his direction over 51,CC0 functioneries and was us 
important as most cabinst ministers. Together with the iluaici'>al 
Council he watched over the interests of Paris,. The tvro prefects 
together fulfilled the duties that a mayor of Pai*is would 
bad under the regular form of oonununal orgaaiiiation, buu without 
effective control by a municipal council, 

B, L.yon 

Lyon was divided into seven arrondissements , Its m.^yor 
was assisted by five deputy mayors, in addition t-c two special 
denuty-mayors in each of the city’s seven a rrondiesem ents, making 
a total of nineteen. At the head of each arrondissement was an 
official called the " malre d’arrendisaement ^ v/hose duties v/era 


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CQI^IDEIfTIAI. 


sirr-llar to those of the Paris " cialre d^arrofadlsseaent^^ Unlike 
Paris, Lyon had a mayor for the v/hole city whose powers were 
like those of other French mayors, except that responsibility for 
the maintenance of nublic order in Lyon rested with the Prefect 
of the Rhone, and not with the majror of the city. This was the 
prefect’s only police pov;er, the others remaining with the mayor. 

The Municipal Council of Lyon had fifty-seven members but hud 
the same powers as the councils of other communes, except that it 
could not control the use of the credits v^hich it voted to the 
Prefect of the Rh(?ne for maintaining the security of Lyon. 

v« Tin; comuim and the vichy regime 

Ac Direction of the Changes Made by Vichy 

The Vichy regime has made several important changes in the 
administration of the commune as it existed under the Third 
Republic, all of v;hich have been in the direction of eliminating 
the elective principle and of increasing the power of the central 
government. The uniformity of lav/ with which all communes had 
been governed under the Third Republic has disaopeared. One range 
of legal provisions now apT>ly to communes having less than 2,000 
Inhabitants, and another to those having a larger population. 

^ B. Vichy and Municipal Personnel 

Soon after arriving in power, the Vichy regime adjourned all 
municipal elections indefinitely. The Vichy government dissolved 
many existing municipal councils and replaced them vdth special 
delegations ( delegations spe^ciales ) olten dravm from the personnel of 

1 


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20 - 


JOIxT-IDHTTIAI 


the ahollshed councilo By the end ol 194B ovei' 2,7vOC coMneila 
had been replaced. Although the purpoas of these repi icen'.snt?. 
was in many cases to eliminate co jncil pe-rsonnel v^^bich was not 
sufficiently loyal to the Vichy’s National ReTolution, It .U 
not safe to apaiuiio -ohat aj.l displaced porsonnel wore dislcyol. 

In some cases tho ronscns foi' disiilssal. had littltj to c.o with 
political convictions. It is eiiualiy unsafe to assume tnat the 
present personnel of municipal councils is na(5e3sarily loyal to 
'the Petaln government. There is good I'eascn to believe that for 
lack of competent replacements, tie Vichy jjOvernincnt has been 
forced tc retain in office mayors and councils v;hich it kn-vv^ 
to be apathetic or evan hestii© to the Vichy regime, 

A law of 16 Nevember 1940 put an end to tlie powers of 
the oiayors, deputy mayors, and r.iuric.ipal council.^ holdin?^ 
office in all conioiunes with a population greater than t,000, 

The minister of the Interior v;afi to airpoint the laayor and 
deputy-xtayors in coxemunea exceociing 10,0CC Inhabitants, and 
the prefect to appoint them for commui-e? having from 2,000 to 
?t.0,GC0 inhabitants. In coinmunes haviivg a population of from 
2,000 to 50,000^ the prefect was to appoint the iramioipal cctinci;'. 
from a list submitted by the mayor; in larger cities the tlinister 
of the Interior whs to L".ake t’ e appoii-tiiient from names pi‘C»vicled 
by tha prefect aftsr his consultation with the mayor. The uilnist 
of tha Interior has ceen empowered to declare unilaterally thst 


COJFIDSNTIAL 





CONyiDKNTlAL 


' iX - 

ffiayxDrs or deputy-mayors have r 0 sif;fled from office. The prefect 
can do the secre for the niunicioal councilors. 

C • Present Relations of the Local Governinenta and Vichy 

The Vichy regime has nob hoen acie to arrive at*a satisfactory 
solution of its relations vith the coma'.ujtie* On thtj Goncrary, it 
has succeeded in thoroughly unsettling these relatlonso The act:ial 
situation in France has created enough difficulties for the couiniane, 
but Vichy has increased the confusion by Issuing floods of dircctiTen 
and orders, more or less contradictor/o Local govcrniijent in Fraico 
today is entirely under the control of the central government, aid 
the mayors have been reduced to the position of prtfectc-rai 
auboordinatea. 

£0TE 

SOURCF.S OF IIIFOPl'J^TIOi? Oil COI^llUNKS 
hictlonnaire des Communes (Berger-Levrault) Paris, 3.939, 
lists all cornmunes alphabetically, giving in each case the nUiSber of 
inhabitants, its location (by canton, arrondissement . and departrieat), 
information as to telephone, telegraph, post office, and railroad 
stations. (Should any of these services not exist in the cocucune , 
the name of the nearest commune having such service is given.) 

Didot-Bottln . Much more useful and much more available is the 
directory of Departe^nts published annually by D1 lot-Bottin. A set 
of these directories is usually to be found In any French post 
office. The departments ere listed alnliaoetically• The 

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cor-’jlines are listed under their respective a rrondisseoenta in 
eech departinent, but there is a convenient index. In addition the 
folloving inforciation is riven; location, al^iitude, utilities, 
trursportstion facilities, population, fair and market days, 
registry offices, banks- clubs, po?<.ice and fire protection 
services, and electricity supply. The narres of the public 
officials of the commune are given, as well as a list of its 
business sstablishrcents. 


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